Our Little Goofball

Have you ever seen a giraffe getting a drink? Well, it's kind of funny looking. They spread their legs out to get closer to the ground until their head can reach whatever it is they are wanting. Here's a professional shot: When we were at the zoo a few weeks ago the giraffe was trying to get something off the ground. Natalee asked what he was doing and I told her that he was probably trying to get a drink or something. She ran back over near the fence and I started to mess with the camera. After a minute I hear her yell, "Mom! I can't quite get my face on the ground" and looked up to this lovely sight. You can kind of see the giraffe doing it's thing in the background. She gave everyone around a little chuckle.

Growing up in a semi-southern household, there were things we would eat that most Uthans had never heard of. One of these was grits. Another is Black Eyed Peas, which is actually a dish, not just a singing group. Natalee has started asking us every night before bed to tell her "what did you do when you were a little kid" stories. On New Year's Night she asked me what we did for New Years when I was a little kid. We used to eat Black Eyed Peas on New Year's Day because of some tradition that you'll never be so poor again through the new year if you eat black eyed peas on that day. Then we had the following conversation:

Natalee: "Do you like them?"

Me: "Not really." (this is why I didn't carry on this tradition)

Natalee: "What would you prefer?"

Me: "I prefer red beans and rice." (a cajun dish-very yummy. Come on over, I'll make us a pot)

Natalee: "Well, I would prefer pizza with a breadstick."

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Nathan and Natalee talking last week:

Natalee: "Dad, I have a horse in my throat."

Dad: "That's impossible."

Natalee: "Na-uh, I do have a horse in my throat!"

Nathan: "A horse is bigger than you, so you really couldn't have a whole horse in your throat."

Natalee: "Umm, maybe it's a foal."

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Natalee has a perfectly good bed, but for some reason she wants to sleep on the hard floor in her sleeping bag. We don't let her do this on school nights, but it's become a weekend tradition.The other night Nathan and Natalee were talking in her room before they read books. After a minute Natalee said, "Enough of this chit-chat, Dad. Let's read."

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Nathan and I have been cleaning out the garage. We had several totes filled with treasures that have been out there pretty much as long as we've lived here. We thought since we'd run out of shelf space and the stuff was now all over the floor of the garage, it was high time to clean out the treasures. We've found that most of these things we thought were terribly important are now making their way to Deseret Industries and we are left with several empty bins. Nathan has been putting them in the living room and today I came in from the garage and found that Nat has a new sitting spot for her TV time. She's so funny. I guess if I wsa that small I might like squishing myself into a plastic bin, but I think I'd still prefer the couch.